How do I use Henna hair powder?

To add to Lava and LoveNaturalHenna have said, you can use warm water with a bit of lemon juice (only recommended if you know the pH of your water) with will speed up the dye release, but you will have to get the henna on your hair immediately. I would never bother putting coffee in, it'll just make your hair smell like the bottom of a coffee pot for days and does not very much in the short term and nothing at all in the long term. If I am henna-ing my hair I use a warm water/lemon mix because where I live it is so cold it takes two days to get dye release. I last henna-ed in December, and my colour is still going strong. I have really dark hair naturally and love the red highlight/tint effect that I get. Also I would make sure you have 100% natural henna, from somewhere you trust. Otherwise its not worth it due to the rubbish that is added by many dye companies.

Lava is absolutely right, you do not want to use boiling water because it will kill the effectiveness of the dye. Boiling water releases the hydrogen atoms that are needed to oxidize the dye. Without hydrogen atoms, the henna dye molecule will not be able to bind to the protein in your hair (it will not last very long) and the color will not darken leaving your hair more orange in color, rather than red. This is probably why Heather has needed to dye her hair with henna every month and a half. Also what Lava stated, it's best to use something slightly acidic such as lemon juice or a strong tea. Lemon juice will not lighten the henna, but actually the opposite. Acidic liquids gently break down the cellulose that contains the dye molecule, enabling a higher dye content (making the dye darker and more vibrant) without the risk of releasing the hydrogen molecule. The only down side to using an acidic liquid rather than boiling water is it does take longer to prepare the henna and leaving it on for a longer period of time. However, the results are amazing and last much longer than if boiling. I've had people have in their hair for as long as 24 hours, but it's not required. 8 hours is a good time to have the henna in hair, which will allow it to penetrate, saturate, and bind with the keratin (which is essential to having henna last).

Hello. Here's how to mix Henna: Mix every one cup of henna with half a cup of boiling water. You can also add boiling coffee if you want it to be darker. Or lemon juice if you want it lighter. Black tea is and pomegranate is great if you want red highlights. Make sure the water is boiling though, and mix until you have a semi-thick paste. Here's how to apply Henna: Apply the henna using plastic gloves, other wise it will stain your hands. Also, apply cream or vaseline around your hairline, other wise it will stain your face. When you're done applying the henna, cover your head with a plastic bag of some sort. Leave the henna in your hair for 60-75 minutes. Definitely NOT 8 hours! Where did you hear that? Here's how to rinse henna out: Rinse the henna out, then shampoo normally. Your shampoo won't affect the henna in any way. But you might have to shampoo twice. Also, you might need to condition twice. I'm surprised your henna didn't come with directions. I've hennaed my hair once every month and a half, for the past 3 years! So trust me, I know what I'm talking about! It's really easy, good luck! :)